Meaning of “Chamber of Reflection” by Mac DeMarco

The lyrics of Mac DeMarco’s “Chamber of Reflection” read like an espousing of, most simply put, meditation. There are various ways in which this piece, with its terse wording really, has been interpreted. But appreciating what Mac is ultimately getting at requires knowledge of what a “Chamber of Reflection” is to begin with.

The “Chamber of Reflection”

Said room is actually a term associated with freemasonry. More specifically and according to DeMarco’s own knowledge and understanding, it’s a place where new initiates go to beforehand and, by the looks of things, are confined to for an extended period of time. The purpose of this room/exercise is so that said individuals can reflect on their lives.

Well at the time he put this song together, Mac was creating his music out of his own home studio. And what he seems to be getting at via his explanation of this piece is that spending time in that environment, doing his thing was akin to his own “Chamber of Reflection” experience, as he described it all as being “therapeutic”.

It does seem as if the vocalist is more or less speaking to freemasonry in the verses or at the very least understands the value of an exercise like the “Chamber of Reflection”. For as he infers in the first verse, a person must go into solitude in preparation for the day in which “you’re born again”. But in the aftermath of successfully doing so, “you’ll be running with better men”. That’s a statement that we will take, all things considered, as an allusion to coming out a better person yourself and thus having access to higher-quality associates. 

But in all honesty, the above also sounds a lot like the ideology behind being accepted into a secret society.

But the second verse makes matter sound a lot more general, as if, as stated earlier, the singer is promoting quality meditation. Or as he infers, the solution to loneliness is actually to be found within, not without. And yes, that assertion does sound a bit illogical, but this song does have its congruence issues.

Alone Again

For instance, the chorus, in which the phrase “alone again” is repeated, easily gives the impression that Mac is lamenting being stuck in such a state. At the end of the day, it is very possible that all of this may be romantic in nature. But as far as the verses and DeMarco’s own explanations go, such would not be the case.

In Conclusion

It is interesting to note that the official music video itself starts off with images of the Masonic logo. However, Mac himself does not appear to be a freemason. Rather, Freemasonry was a subject that fascinated him at the time. Again, he saw parallels between the “Chamber of Reflection” and what he was going through in his own music career.

So we conclude by saying that this singer is akin to a secret society sympathizer. He is able to perceive the value in some of their practices. And as with secret societies this song too can be misleading, if you will, if you focus on what’s being said most explicitly as opposed to the meaning underneath the surface.

“Spend some time away
Getting ready for the day you’re born again
Spend some time alone
Understand that, soon, you’ll run with better men
Alone again”

When did Mac DeMarco release “Chamber of Reflection”?

Mac DeMarco is a singer from Canada. His career appears to be progressing for the most part since his discography commenced in 2010. He released “Chamber of Reflection” on 1 April 2014.

It can be found on DeMarco’s third-studio LP, a project titled “Salad Days”. This album was put out by an indie label called Captured Tracks and recorded in Mac’s apartment.

Success of “Chamber of Reflection”

This is one of the most-successful singles in DeMarco’s catalog. It has thus far achieved RIAA-platinum and BPI-silver certification.  

“Chamber of Reflection” also made it onto the top 10 of NME’s “Top 50 Tracks of 2014” list. 

Interesting to Note

There’s a cover of this song circulating by Finn Wolfhard. Many readers would recognize Wolfhard as the actor behind “Mike Wheeler”, one of the main characters of the hit Netflix show Stranger Things.

Somewhere along the line, people started noticing strong similarities between DeMarco’s “Chamber of Reflection” and a 1975 instrumental titled “The World II” by one Shigeo Sekito, who specializes in playing the electric organ. 

So as it currently stands, Sekito has been officially acknowledged as a co-writer of “Chamber of Reflection” alongside Mac DeMarco, the latter of whom also produced the track.